In U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,658 entitled "Carpet Backing and Installation System" issued Apr. 18, 1989, the same inventor disclosed a new carpet backing and installation system. This new carpet with its backing has proved to be commercially successful. Installation of carpet using tape as described with this system saves considerable time and energy. Further, once the tape has been installed, worn or damaged carpet can be easily replaced by removal of the carpet and by the installation of new carpet over the installed tape. The tape, once installed can be reused many times, and it is at this stage that significant economies can be achieved.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,658 a tape is disclosed having hooks and a covering over the hooks to prevent premature attachment of the hooks onto loops contained on the underside of carpet backing. On the opposite, bottom side of the tape is a pressure sensitive adhesive for adhering the tape to the floor. A release paper is attached over the adhesive at the back of the tape to be removed prior to installation of the tape on the floor. It is suggested that a protective strippable cover on the hooks be attached to an exposed hookless area by contact adhesive along one or both edges of the upper face to prevent, during installation, premature attachment of the hooks to the loops covering the back area of the carpet. Other means for attaching a hook covering to the hooked tape for the purposes of preventing premature attachment of carpet loops to the hooks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,692, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In practice, the most common hook covering currently employed is a loosely knit cloth which loosely engages the hooks of the tape and which is readily dislodged therefrom when the carpet has been located in place for its loops to be secured to the hooks of the tape. A currently available tape and covering is available through TAC-FAST Georgia, L.L.C. of Atlanta, Ga.
Engagement of the loops and hooks of the carpet and tape along carpet seams has sometimes been found to be less than perfect, particularly in terms of the appearance of the seam. Sometimes, a carpet piece is imperfectly manufactured and has a tendency to curl up along its edge in a manner which, however slight, is visible and unsightly. The strength of engagement between currently used carpet loops and tape hooks appears to be inadequate to address this problem.